How bad was the worst of TV in 2001? So bad that some awful TV shows, from Jason Alexander's "Bob Patterson" on ABC and Daniel Stern's "Danny" on CBS to "Fear Factor" on NBC and "Men, Women and Dogs" on WB, don't even make the cut.
1. "XFL," NBC and UPN. NBC lost about $50 million, deservedly, by climbing into bed with WWF's Vince McMahon and airing this now-defunct league.
2. "Chains of Love," UPN. Four people are chained to a person of the opposite sex, then released until only two people are left. Those same chains should have been used to retain viewers.
3. "Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History," CBS. It was one of the longest two-hour telemovies in history, too.
4. "Big Brother 2," CBS. Worse than the first, which I wouldn't have thought possible.
5. "The Best Commercials You've Never Seen (And Some You Have): The Holiday Edition," ABC. Quite simply, one of the cheapest and tackiest major-network specials ever foisted upon the public.
6. "Spy TV," NBC. This show redefines smarmy but who needs a redefinition?
7. "Off Centre," WB. This tasteless sitcom went where no sitcom had gone before tackling patently offensive story ideas.
8. "Inside Schwartz," NBC. Is this the worst show ever to occupy the coveted 7:30 p.m. Thursday slot on NBC's Must-See TV lineup? Yes.
9. "Kristin," NBC. It takes a network with really bad sitcom instincts to take an electrifying Broadway musical talent Kristin Chenoweth and bury that talent in an unfunny, ill-suited vehicle.
10. "Some of My Best Friends," CBS. I'd remind you about this straight-and-gay comedy from February, but some things are better forgotten.
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